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Yes amazingness. No it is not a real word, but it is the only way to describe the quality, build, comfort, and sound of the Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) P5 headphones.

Quality/build:
Here’s the rundown: memory-foam-padded earphones, sheepskin earcups, interchangeable cables, no exposed ports, detachable earpads (but there aren’t replacement pads available), magnetic coupling. The price is a steep $300, but the quality certainly equals the price. There is also an integrated in-line microphone, volume control, and remote for use with your iPhone and iPods (though over-the-ear headphones seem a bit bulky for me to air with my iPod on-the-go). If you don’t have a compatible iPhone or iPod there is also a shorter cable included, as well as 1/8 connector for home audio system or DJ equipment.

Technology/Sound:
There are two types on noise canceling headphone technologies available: active (Bose QuietComfort 3) and passive (the P5’s). The P5’s remove external noise by absorbing sound and fitting snugly against your ear. I find this to result in a truer reproduction of the sound, though certainly not as quiet as Bose headphones.

From a sound perspective, they were just as one would hope. As expected from B&W, lighter sample tracks such as Norah Jones, classical symphonies, and contemporary rock (The Fray, Straight No Chaser)  all sounded great. The lyrics and accompaniments sounded great. My real challenge for the headphones was when I moved to bass heavy tracks from Akon and more complex rock (DMB, Coldplay). Surprisingly the lows were dead-on and left me extremely satisfied, while the high notes and mid-ranges were crystal clear ... as expected

Overall:
From a speaker company that certainly knows a thing or two about sound quality, they have truely outdown themselves with there first entry into personal audio. Don’t believe me? Think I’m getting paid to say this? Head into a store and listen for yourself - the only money you’ll be hoping for is an extra $300 to grab a pair for yourself.

4.5/5

Product [Bowers-Wilkins]

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I was excited when i received the Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5vi. Knowing that Ultimate Ears are used by some of the top musical artists globally, my expectations were set very high from the onset. Of course the ones I have been using are not the same as the $3k+ custom models, but my expectations were still high.

(from time to time throughout the review I will compare the 5vi ($189) to the Shure SE210 ($179) as they are my daily go-to earphones).

Packaging: While one cannot argue that the 5vi packaging looks premium, there is a ton of wasted plastic, cardboard, and weight to pack a rather compact product. There has to be a better way to get shelf presence without all that extra garbage.  C

Included Accessories: The 5vi comes with four different size rubber ear plugs (all of which I find uncomfortable). Shure on the other hand gives you multiple size ear plugs in two different styles (to be fair, I don’t like theirs either). Both offer memory foam plugs as well which are my preferred choice, but the 5vi are much thinner than the Shure and do not expand as much in my ear.  B

Design: The earphones have a chrome plastic coating that gives them a very premium look and feel. I am accustomed to putting earphones over my ear, so I was surprised when these went in frontward. I wasn’t 100% if I was sticking them in wrong or they really couldn’t be looped around, but once I realized that the iPhone mic was behind my ear if I wrapped it around, I was sure that they must go in frontward. Finally, the 1/8” audio plug is a straight 1/2” object the protrudes straight out of my iPhone/iPod. This is especially annoying when I want to type in landscape mode on my phone, while listening to music. B-

Functionality: I opted to review this model because i find the microphone module attachment integration for my Shure to be extremely clunky. The 5vi is the exact opposite, you can easily forget that there is a mic as well as a call/answer button integrated into the cord. But as much as it is not intrusive, i often forget that I have it, because I hardly use it - not because I don’t get calls, but it doesn’t do anything else (volume, prior track, etc). If Ultimate Ears went through the effort of integrating two items inline, why not add volume/track control as well?  B

Features/Sound: In the end the way earphones sound are the most important part. The 5vi fell right in the middle, they were ok for daily commuting on a bus and walking around the city, but the sound quality really began falling short when I was in a quieter location. The earphones were light on the lows and a bit to strong on the highs. Further they sounded almost tinny at times.

Overall: For $189 I do not believe you are getting the sound quality or functionality that other similar prices earphones offer. While these are a ok, they just don’t cut it. The average user may not hear the imperfections I did, but then they don’t really need $189 earphones anyway. For those of you who do, I suggest you look elsewhere. B-

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One of the most difficult elements of a Bluetooth headset is not only its comfort level but also its sound level.  Too often our conversations are cut short due to a lack of coherent communication. Gadgetell took a look at the Plantronics Voyager Pro to see if it could help.

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Check out the gallery: Plantronics Voyager Pro

Why bother tuning in your local radio stations when you can listen to Internet radio from around the world?  However, some spots don’t exactly lend themselves to having a full fledged computer to act as an Internet radio.  Vtech aimed to solve that problem with the Vtech IS9181, their Wi-Fi Internet radio.  Gadgetell tested it out to see if it is worth your hard earned money.

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We’ve partnered up with LogicHP.com to bring you today’s Recession-O-Rama deals. The website focuses news, deals, reviews, and discussion on everything HP Laptop, Desktop and Printers. How about $$$ off a range of HP notebooks and desktop computers?

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We’ve partnered up with LogicHP.com to bring you today’s Recession-O-Rama deals. The website focuses news, deals, reviews, and discussion on everything HP Laptop, Desktop and Printers. So, what do we have for you today? $$$ off a bunch of HP computers?

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We’ve partnered up with LogicHP.com to bring you today’s Recession-O-Rama deals. The website focuses news, deals, reviews, and discussion on everything HP Laptop, Desktop and Printers. So, what do we have for you today? 30% off a bunch of HP laptops—and who said we are in a recession anyway?

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I am not sure about you but I am regularly running out of space on my living room DVR (from Time Warner Cable) and am forced to delete movies and/or TV shows that I haven’t have time to watch.  I could opt to record in SD instead of HD (which requires significantly less space), but that is just too big of a sacrifice.  With the Seagate Extender these problems dissolve away.

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Unlike most external backups, the new Seagate Replica external hard drive is super simple system.  It is a complete PC backup system without any added bells or whistles.  Like the Flip camcorder, anyone can figure this out.  All you need to do it plug it directly into your PC and voila it will automatically and continuously stores up-to-date copies of everything on a PC, including applications, operating system, e-mail, pictures, music, movies, Internet bookmarks and settings.

I would love to say more but it really is that simple.  I plugged it right into my future mother-in-law’s laptop and within 2 hours it was backed-up.  More importantly, the only directions I had to give her was to plug it back in every two weeks or so (though a phone call may be required).  No longer do I need to fear that dreaded phone call about a crashed computer and lost files.

Research by Parks Associates indicates that one-third of consumers do not currently backup the content on their PCs, and of those that do backup, they do so rarely because of the daunting, labor-and time-intensive task of burning CDs/DVDs or manually dragging-and-dropping individual files to flash drives.  The Replica Backup System continues to run behind-the-scenes, so that there is no further interaction with the application required.  Additionally, when the Replica backup appliance is left connected to the computer, it will perform a continuous and complete backup of everything so the computer is not left vulnerable between backup events as it would be with scheduled software.

The multi-PC version of Seagate Replica includes a dock and is available for homes with two or more PCs for $199.99.  A single-PC version is available for $129.99 (both available in May).

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Ladies and gentleman allow me to introduce you to what I believe to be the most efficient and effective smart phone for both Verizon and the WinMo community.  A veritable hybrid of “touch” and well…touch.  So what do I mean?  The Samsung Saga is like getting three presents in one.  You have the ever so popular touch screen element, the stylish and comfortable QWERTY keyboard, not to mention the backing of multiple programs for your Windows Mobile phone. 

Love at first touch

It seems Samsung is really listening to WinMo users or maybe it is only my prayers that have been answered.  I was obsessing over the release of the Samsung Omnia for the longest time; in fact, I am willing to bet that I may be the first person to get their hands on it.  At first it was love at first “touch” now it’s like a relationship on its way out the door; the thought of touching and holding my Omnia gives me a headache.  I wanted a two-way commitment from my phone.  I wanted to touch and also feel.  I am, of course, referring to the Saga’s QWERTY keyboard.  Like a breath of fresh air, it swept me off my fingers and gave me that “push my buttons” feel that I didn’t realize I missed so much. 

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